‘This could be the last game’: Nittany Lions looking to continue NIT run against Notre Dame

It started to hit Shep Garner that his career could be coming to a close during Penn State’s game against Temple on Wednesday night.

The Nittany Lions guard knew someone needed to make a play, and he hit a pair of crucial 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter to help his team beat the Owls 63-57 to advance to the second round of the NIT. Garner and Penn State will continue their postseason run at No. 1-seed Notre Dame at noon Saturday.

“It’s gut-wrenching,” Garner said. “It’s like your career, your season could be done like today. Do you want it to be done or not? And that’s what it comes down to. Do you want to win or not? This could be the last game. I think this is a special group that we have, and we don’t want it to be done yet.”

The Nittany Lions (22-13) overcame a poor shooting performance in the win over Temple — leading scorer Tony Carr finished 1 for 12 from the field and as a team they shot 36.7 percent — thanks to Josh Reaves and the bench. Reaves scored a game-high 19 points, while Nazeer Bostick added 12 points on 4 for 4 shooting and Julian Moore chipped in with 10 points.

But Bostick won’t be on the court Saturday.

After being charged with possession of marijuana, Bostick has been suspended for the game against Notre Dame for a violation of team rules.

Notre Dame (21-14) reached the second round with an 84-63 win over Hampton. The Fighting Irish — who barely missed making the NCAA tournament — are led by senior forward Bonzie Colson.

Colson, who received preseason All-American and ACC Player of the Year honors, missed 15 games due to a foot fracture before returning Feb. 28. In 20 games this season, he is averaging 19.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

“I’m sure if they had him for most of the year, we wouldn’t be at Notre Dame,” Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said. “But he can hurt you in a lot of different ways. He scores on every level. He’s very tough. He’s very physical.”

While the Nittany Lions prepare for Colson and Notre Dame, they’re expecting a better effort from their best player Saturday.

Carr led the Big Ten in scoring this season, but he only managed two points in the win over Temple on Wednesday night.

“I thought he handled it really well,” Chambers said. “He needs to go through those tough shooting nights. He really does. That’s how you mature. That’s how you grow. That’s why I think he’s going to play that much better on Saturday. I think he’s going to be terrific.”

Even on a cold shooting night for Carr and the Nittany Lions in their NIT opener, they found a way to win Wednesday night.

And Garner isn’t ready to be done yet. The senior guard wants to return to Madison Square Garden for the NIT semifinals.

“We want to get to New York,” Garner said. “That’s our goal — get to New York, play in New York.”

This story was originally published March 16, 2018 at 6:44 PM with the headline "‘This could be the last game’: Nittany Lions looking to continue NIT run against Notre Dame."